Never mind South Africa in 2010, David Beckham might still be around for the 2014 World Cup! At least that is the view of the AC Milan club doctor who gave the former England captain his medical at his new club.

Milan’s chief club doctor, Jean-Pierre Meerseeman, said:

“Beckham could go on for another five or six years. His cardiovascular readings are very good. His basic fitness is excellent. All he needs to do now is to alter his training programme slightly.”

Meerseeman is well versed in handling the fitness requirenments of aging players as the Milan side is one of the oldest squads in top level football.  Read more... (203 words, estimated 49 secs reading time)

The Italian Super Cup, which traditionally raises the curtain on the Serie A season, will be staged at Beijing’s Olympic stadium in 2009, the Italian league announced.

The Bird’s Nest is the fourth international venue chosen for the Super Cup after Washington (1993), Tripoli (2002) and New York (2003).

The game between the winners of the League and Cup is scheduled for August 8 next year with the 2009-2010 Serie A season getting underway on August 23. The start of next season’s Italian league was brought forward by one week to give the clubs’ Italy internationals the chance to have played two matches before September’s batch of 2010 World Cup qualifiers.  Read more... (138 words, estimated 33 secs reading time)

Juventus cut the gap with Serie A leaders Inter Milan back to six points with a hard-fought 3-1 win at Atalanta on Sunday. Juve’s Alessandro Del Piero and Nicola Legrottaglie put the visitors 2-0 up before former Juve striker Christian Vieri pulled one back with a header just after the break. Determined Atalanta searched for an equaliser but Amauri’s bullet header eight minutes from time ended their hopes. “It was a well-deserved and hard-earned victory,” Juve coach Claudio Ranieri told reporters. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy away to Atalanta.”  Read more... (404 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

AC Milan was exposed as an aging team on Sunday as the youth of Juventus ran wild under pouring rain at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico.

Juventus’s comprehensive 4-2 victory over AC Milan kept them within six points of Inter at the top of Serie A, while Milan are now nine points adrift with one game to play before the winter break.  Read more... (250 words, estimated 1:00 mins reading time)

It was a topsy-turvy weekend in Serie A, with 41 goals scored across the 10 games and 28 of those coming in the second half. Roma were 1–0 up, then 2–1 down at home to Cagliari before recovering to win 3–2, while Chievo recovered from 2–0 down against Inter to pull level at 2–2 midway through the second half but still went on to lose 4–2. More dramatic still, however, were events at Stadio Friuli, where Lazio trailedUdinese 3–0 with just over half an hour to play, yet somehow managed to snatch a 3–3 draw.  Read more... (534 words, estimated 2:08 mins reading time)

Interesting stories coming out of Italy about how Nike, who sponsor Inter Milan, have backed plans for them to sign Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has long been a target of Spanish giants Real Madrid, but the twist to that transfer saga is that Real Madrid are an Adidas team. Having Ronaldo appear in pictures worldwide wearing a shirt with the Adidas logo would be too much for the Nike folks to handle.

If Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester this summer, as is expected, it is in Nike’s best interest to find him a Nike friendly team. Cue Inter Milan.  Read more... (192 words, estimated 46 secs reading time)

The Brazil, while still one of the best in the world, really does not have the girt and intensity needed to carry AC Milan to the Serie A title.  Why spend lavishly when you already have a bevy of playmakers including another certain Samba specialist in Kaká?  It just doesn’t make much sense.

The move continues to baffle us here at Serie A Tickets.  And evidence was there yet again in today’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sicilian side Palermo.  Ronaldinho missed an early penalty kick when the Samba attacker hit the crossbar.     Read more... (207 words, estimated 50 secs reading time)

Roma launched 22 shots today, six on goal at the Stadio Olimpico as the outfit continues to climb back into next season’s European discussion.  Francesco Totti’s second-half goal ensured a 1-0 victory; it was the club’s third straight win over Fiorentina in Rome.

The Giallorossi now sit 14th in the Serie A table, but only six points out of a UEFA Cup bid.  Roma has won three straight — a 1-0 win versus Lazio in the Rome derby and then last weekend’s 3-0 away win at Lecce. 

Fiorentina now have five away defeats on the year.  Read more... (238 words, estimated 57 secs reading time)